Hearing Testimony on Iraqi refugees and Mandaean Plight

On July 25th, a hearing was held to discuss the situation of Iraqi refugees and the Mandaeans in particular. This is the record of the testimony. For the testimony about the Mandaeans, click here for Dr. Suhaib Nashi's statement. After recounting the history of the Mandaean population and their current crisis, Dr. Nashi said:

We ask of you the following:

• That the United States Government act immediately to prevent the humanitarian disaster in the making. The USA government should take a leading role to step up and save the Mandaeans and other minorities in Iraq .

• That the Departments of State and Homeland Security create specific guidelines that recognize that Mandaeans will in all likelihood not be safe from persecution in Iraq and should therefore provide Mandaeans with permanent protection by accepting them for resettlement with Priority One or Priority Two refugee visas similar to the Iranian Mandaeans.

• That the US government expands the number of Iraqi refugees accepted to a much higher number and that special consideration is given to the Mandaeans and other vulnerable groups.

• That the State Department allow United States Mandaeans who have relatives seeking asylum in Syria or Jordan to be able to sponsor these refugees to the United States.

• That the US government should allocate funding and encourage other governments, especially the Iraqi government, to do the same for programs to provide the Iraqi refugees with the necessary means for safe and secure living on urgent bases.